An evolving group of Australian Artists working collaboratively in our travelling art journals.
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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Laughter in Spite of Pain - Reniet

Well I've mastered the blog lol. Seems i was trying to sign in with the wrong email address.
I chose the topic after having to spend a few years in the world of pediatric oncology. These kids were enduring some terrible things yet they still managed to laugh whenever they could.
But that then made me realize how many of us smile or laugh in spite of any sort of pain. Putting on a brave face so to speak. I for one am a master at laughing when I'm in physical pain as a way of coping.
I'm not much of an artist in the sense of painting and drawing etc. I tend to have a more analytical mind then creative. As such my journal (as a first time) is some what basic but we have to start somewhere.
The cover was about the pain i was feeling, very dark with sharp stabbing parts. The laughter starts as small on the outside as the pain is greater.

I should add that my almost 15 yr old daughter is helping with this. On the inside we decided that the laughter was bigger and the pain (represented by black heart) had become smaller.
I also put 3 pictures of Faith smiling during times i know she was in pain as she was my inspiration.
Beth put bright beads and ribbons on the spine to show the laughter side of things.

I made a little book with different scrap booking papers i had and bound it with some ribbon. I made a pocket on the inside cover to hold the book. I thought if anyone wanted to write a little note about what they had done in the journal they could do it here.

Hmm the pic is upside down sorry lol.
I had also planned to journal on the next page a little about how i came about the spread i have done. It was a bit of therapy for me in a way.
Well thats it for now i hope everyone has fun.

3 comments:

What a wonderful journal and I can't wait to get my hands on it. This is what true journaling is about...not all the pretty frou frou stuff...it is about raw emotions and a way of letting it out, whether it be sad or happy or in my case sometimes just plain mad!! It is a great release and you find that the best pages are the ones that come from the heart as they have soul. Okay off my soap box now :-).

Wow, Love it and glad it is a collaborative effort with your daughter as well! I had trouble with a photo up the wrong way too! I can sympathise. Looking forward to when I get the journal, I can sure empathise with what you are going through. :)

Starting something new is always quite daunting. I admire your bravery i n that and I'm glad you are on this journey with us. I'm not very artistic either and I'be been dabbling for a couple of years now. Photography got me in touch with my creative side. All the best and I, m looming forward to receiving your journal.